FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 18, 2023
Calling All Gulf of Alaska Fixed Gear Groundfish Harvesters:
Limited Space Available to Participate in Electronic Logbook Trial Starting 2023
Real Time Data (RTD), a fisherman-founded software company, has been awarded funding by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to pilot their electronic logbook Deckhand® Pro in Gulf of Alaska fixed gear groundfish fisheries, beginning in the 2023 season. Fishers who are currently reporting on the NMFS Daily Fishing Log (DFL) and are fishing for halibut and sablefish are eligible to participate. The project is capped at 30 participants.
The Deckhand team believes that electronic logbooks should be a “wheelhouse essential,” to benefit fishermen and their businesses, similar to other everyday marine electronics. The Deckhand Pro software is used across dozens of fisheries in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States and helps streamline record keeping, including reporting.
Under the NFWF project, weatherproof cases, mounts, and iPads running the Deckhand platform loaded with the fixed gear logbook will be distributed to participants. The trial will run for two seasons and fishermen will receive a $500 stipend along with the hardware to keep for participating the full project length. The Deckhand team is collaborating closely with Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association, North Pacific Fisheries Association, Deep Sea Fishermen’s Union, National Marine Fisheries Service, and International Pacific Halibut Commission to coordinate the project.
Those interested in participating should reach out to one of the above-mentioned organizations or to project manager Lange Solberg at 360-399-6993 or lange@deckhandlogbook.com for more information and to sign up. Space is already filling up.
“We’re ecstatic to be working with industry to get Deckhand Pro out on the water in fixed gear fisheries,” said Lange Solberg, commercial fisherman and US manager for RTD. “Fishermen have been asking for a better, more streamlined way to take care of their logbook requirements in these fisheries, and this is a major first step in moving that needle. Fishermen are still handwriting latitudes and longitudes for every string of gear set and hauled. This project moves the fleet closer to making that, along with many other inefficiencies, a thing of the past.”
Real Time Data has revolutionized fisheries data collection since 2010 at its Adelaide, Australia and Bellingham, Washington headquarters. RTD continues to lead innovation in the global electronic reporting market with its flagship logbook product, Deckhand Pro. The company’s staff in Australia and the US are committed to providing the best technology in the world for a future of sustainable fisheries, happy fishermen, and healthy fishing businesses. For more, go to deckhandlogbook.com or visit @deckhandlogbook on all Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.